Is the post called Fort Hood or Fort Cavazos?

Fort Hood. It was renamed Fort Cavazos in 2023 and renamed back in June 2025, now honoring Col. Robert B. Hood. Loan files and deeds from 2023 to 2025 may carry either name.

Does the seller's 10 percent appraisal cap or disabled veteran exemption pass to me?

No. Under Tax Code 23.23 the cap expires when the qualifying owner no longer owns the home, and exemptions under 11.131 and 11.22 belong to the veteran. A buyer without the same exemption can face a much higher tax bill on the same house and loan.

Why is the cash gap smaller in Killeen than in most markets?

The area median is about $282,000, so a 2021 VA loan typically leaves a gap near $85,000 rather than the six-figure gaps in Phoenix, Tampa or San Diego.

Is there a transfer tax on a Texas home purchase?

No. Article VIII section 29 of the Texas constitution bars it, and title insurance premiums are set by the Texas Department of Insurance rather than negotiated.

VA Assumable Homes in Killeen, TX

Fort Hood turnover, a median under $300,000, no transfer tax, and Texas property taxes that reset with every owner. The gap is small; the tax bill is not.

Fort Hood, by either name

Fort Hood borders Killeen and is home to III Armored Corps and the 1st Cavalry Division. The post was renamed Fort Cavazos in May 2023 and renamed back to Fort Hood in June 2025, this time honoring Col. Robert B. Hood, a World War I Distinguished Service Cross recipient, per the Army's announcement. Both names appear in listings, deeds and loan files from the intervening two years. The Texas Comptroller's 2025 military economic snapshot attributes about 53,800 direct jobs to the post.

An armored corps rotates soldiers constantly, and Killeen, Harker Heights, Copperas Cove and Nolanville absorb a large share of them as homeowners rather than renters, because prices make it possible. That churn is why the Killeen area has one of the highest concentrations of VA loans in the country and a steady supply of assumable ones.

The gap is the smallest on this site

Texas A&M's Real Estate Research Center put the Killeen area median at about $282,000 in its winter 2026 outlook, noting roughly 46 percent price growth across 2020 to 2022. That is real appreciation, but from a low base.

A Harker Heights home bought for $215,000 in 2021 with a VA loan might carry a balance near $197,000 and sell for around $282,000. The buyer brings roughly $85,000 on top of closing costs, a figure that second-lien lenders and family gifts can reach. As in Fayetteville and San Antonio, the rate benefit is smaller in absolute dollars because the balance is smaller, but the deal can actually close. How much cash do I need covers funding it.

No transfer tax, regulated title rates

Texas bars any tax on the transfer of real property under article VIII section 29 of the state constitution. Title insurance premiums are set by the Texas Department of Insurance rather than by the title company, and the 2026 rate order cut basic premiums about 6 percent effective March 2026, so quotes do not vary much between agents.

Texas property taxes reset with the owner

This is the local factor that catches buyers from other states, and it is bigger in Bell County than in most of Texas because the effective rate runs close to 1.4 percent of value.

The homestead cap belongs to the seller. Texas limits annual growth in a homestead's appraised value to 10 percent under Tax Code 23.23, but the limitation expires when the owner who qualified for it no longer does. A buyer starts a new cap from market value. A seller's escrow figure is not the buyer's.

Exemptions restart. The school district homestead exemption is $140,000 after the November 2025 constitutional amendment, per the Texas Comptroller, with an additional $60,000 for owners 65 and older or disabled. It attaches to the owner and the buyer applies fresh.

The disabled veteran exemption does not transfer. Veterans rated 100 percent or individually unemployable receive a total homestead exemption under Tax Code 11.131, and partial ratings receive $5,000 to $12,000 under 11.22. In a market with this many disabled veterans, a home whose seller paid no property tax at all can carry a bill of several thousand dollars a year for a buyer who does not qualify. The Comptroller's disabled veteran guide covers eligibility. Confirming the tax bill under new ownership, before the offer, is the single most useful step a Killeen buyer can take.

Foreclosure is non-judicial. Texas lenders sell under the deed of trust on the first Tuesday of the month at the county courthouse, after a 20 day cure period, under Property Code 51.002. Bell County is inland and outside the coastal windstorm pool; hail is the main insurance driver, and the Texas Department of Insurance put the state's average premium near $3,500 in 2025.

Entitlement and a deep veteran-buyer pool

The seller's VA entitlement stays attached to the loan after an assumption unless an eligible veteran buyer substitutes their own; VA entitlement and substitution covers it. Killeen may be the easiest market in the country for a seller to find such a buyer. The 0.50 percent funding fee under 38 U.S.C. 3729 applies unless the buyer is exempt, and many Fort Hood buyers are.

Timelines and finding them

Permanent change of station orders set the seller's calendar, and servicer assumption timelines of weeks to months rarely match it. The assumption approval process covers what drives the schedule, and closing timeline: ASAP vs. deferred covers structuring the contract around it. Assumable status lives on the loan rather than in listing data; agents who work Fort Hood clients are the most productive route, how to find assumable mortgage listings covers the rest, and current VA assumable listings show the assumed rate and remaining balance together.

This is educational information, not financial, legal, or lending advice. Texas tax treatment, exemptions, and loan terms vary by situation and change over time. Confirm exemption eligibility and the tax estimate with the Bell County Appraisal District.